Single-Particle Cryo-Electron Microscopy

The Path Toward Atomic Resolution/ Selected Papers of Joachim Frank with Commentaries

The book reproduces 55 of more than 300 articles written by the author, representing milestones in methods development of single-particle cryo-EM as well as important results obtained by this technique in the study of biological macromolecules and their interactions. Importantly, neither symmetries nor ordered arrangements (as in two-dimensional crystals, helical assemblies, icosahedral viruses) are required. Although the biological applications are mainly in the area of ribosome structure and function, the elucidation of membrane channel structures and their activation and gating mechanisms are represented, as well. The book is introduced by a commentary that explains the original development of concepts, describes the contributions of the author's colleagues and students, and shows how challenges were overcome as the technique matured. Along the way, the ribosome served as an example for a macromolecule with intricate structure and conformational dynamics that pose challenges for three-dimensional visualization. Toward the end of the book — bringing us to the present time — molecular structures with near-atomic resolution are presented, and a novel type of computational analysis, manifold embedding, is introduced.

Single-particle cryo-EM is currently revolutionizing structural biology, presenting a powerful alternative to X-ray crystallography as a means to solve the structure of biological macromolecules. The book presents in one place a number of articles containing key advances in mathematical and computational methods leading up to the present time. Secondly, the development of the technique over the years is reflected by ever-expanding discoveries in the field of ribosome structure and function. Thirdly, as all histories of ideas, the history of concepts pertaining to this new method of visualization is fascinating all in itself.

Contents:

• Image Formation, Optical Diffraction, and Digital Image Processing
• Development of Methods for 2D Averaging and 3D Reconstruction of Biological Macromolecules
• Focus Shifting from Methodology to Biology: the Ribosome and the Mechanism of Translation
• Discoveries Related to Ribosome Structure
• The Need for Additional Tools
• Discoveries Shedding Light on Ribosome Dynamics
• The "Resolution Revolution"
• Impact on Ribosome Research
• Foray into Channel Structures and their Gating Mechanisms
• Adding the Dimension of Time
• Time-Resolved Cryo-EM
• The Free-Energy Landscape: Mapping Continuous Changes in Conformation
• Outlook

Readership: Graduate students and researchers in biophysics, structural biology and protein synthesis.
Key Features:

• Articles written and introduced by an early pioneer of the single-particle reconstruction method
• Book covers key computational techniques that form the foundation of the method
• Progress in the historic development is uniquely reflected by progress in elucidation of the ribosome's structure and function